Binocular and focusing device

Abstract

The invention relates to a binocular having two tubes, which are connected to one another by means of a hinged bridge pivotable about a hinge axis for adjusting the interpupillary distance, wherein an axially displaceable focusing means is arranged in each one of the two tubes, and wherein a common focusing device for displacing the focusing means is formed, wherein the focusing device comprises a housing and a focusing knob rotatable about a rotational axis and the rotational axis is arranged coaxially to the hinge axis, and wherein the focusing knob is rotationally coupled to a focusing gear and the focusing gear, in each case, comprises a push rod, by means of which the focusing gear is, in each case, coupled to one of the two focusing means, wherein a direction of a back-and-forth displacement of the push rod and a direction of the hinge axis are aligned obliquely with respect to each other.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A binocular comprising:
 a first tube and a second tube, connected to one another by means of a hinged bridge pivotable about a hinge axis for adjusting an interpupillary distance and for parallel arrangement of the first and second tubes, wherein the first tube and the second tube each include:
 an objective lens; 
 an eyepiece; 
 a prism erecting system; and 
 a focusing lens, wherein the focusing lens is axially displaceable, 
 wherein the focusing lens of the first tube is positioned between the objective lens of the first tube and the prism erecting system of the first tube; 
 wherein the focusing lens of the second tube is positioned between the objective lens of the second tube and the prism erecting system of the second tube; 
   a focusing knob rotatable about a rotational axis; and   a first push rod and a second push rod, each of the first and the second push rods having a longitudinal axis along which the respective push rod can travel, wherein the focusing knob is coupled to each of the first and second push rods, the first push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the first tube, and the second push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the second tube,   wherein a direction of a back-and-forth displacement in the longitudinal axis of the first push rod or along the longitudinal axis of the second push rod and a direction of the hinge axis are aligned obliquely with respect to each other,   wherein an objective-side end of the first push rod and of the second push rod is formed having a joint head arrangement, the joint head arrangement being engaged with a joint socket of a lens mount of the corresponding focusing lens, and   wherein a cylinder-shaped section of a joint head is mounted on a joint head base, the joint head base being fastened to the objective-side end of the push rod.   
     
     
         2 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , wherein the joint socket is designed such that a correcting movement of the joint head in a radial direction relative to the direction of the hinge axis is possible when adjusting the push rod. 
     
     
         3 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , wherein the joint socket is formed by a fork laterally projecting from the lens mount of the focusing lens. 
     
     
         4 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , wherein the joint head basis comprises a disk-shaped projection,
 wherein a sliding disk and a compression spring are mounted on the cylinder-shaped section of the joint head, and   wherein the compression spring is arranged such that it is supported on the one hand on the sliding disk and on the other hand on the disk-shaped projection of the joint head basis.   
     
     
         5 . The binocular according to  claim 4 , wherein the joint socket of the lens mount is provided with a flank on its eyepiece side, which flank has an inclination corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the push rod such that a full-surface contact of the sliding disk on the flank of the joint socket is achieved. 
     
     
         6 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , characterized in that one end of the push rod is arranged in one of the tubes and another end of the push rod is arranged in the hinged bridge. 
     
     
         7 . The binocular according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the direction of the longitudinal axis of the push rod of each tube is aligned skew with respect to a direction of an optical axis of the tube. 
     
     
         8 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , characterized in that, in the two tubes, in each case, a beam path is formed with a first optical axis of the objective lens, with a second optical axis of the eyepiece and with a prism erecting system, wherein the first optical axis of the objective lens and the second optical axis of the eyepiece are offset parallel to each other by a distance so that these axes do not coincide, wherein the hinge axis of the hinged bridge, the first optical axis of the objective lens and the second optical axis of the eyepiece lie in a common, first plane. 
     
     
         9 . The binocular according to  claim 8 , characterized in that the hinge axis spans a second plane with the longitudinal axis of the push rod, wherein the first plane and the second plane commonly enclose an acute angle with a value between 0° and 30°. 
     
     
         10 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the push rod is held in a guide tunnel of a tube housing so as to be displaceable in the direction of its longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         11 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the push rods are designed so as to be adjustable in their length in a telescope-like manner. 
     
     
         12 . The binocular according to  claim 1 , characterized in that an outer side of each tube comprises a waist formed with a circumferential shape deviating from a circular shape in a region of the prism erecting system, wherein a section extending on an upper side of the tube is formed as a retaining recess following the waist for a section of a finger and a section extending on a bottom side of the tube is formed as a retaining recess following the waist for a section of a thumb of a user. 
     
     
         13 . The binocular according to  claim 12 , characterized in that each tube in the region of its waist has two retaining recesses which are opposing each other, in particular two retaining recesses which are arranged on sections of the tube rotated by 180° with respect to one another. 
     
     
         14 . A binocular comprising:
 a first tube and a second tube, connected to one another by means of a hinged bridge pivotable about a hinge axis for adjusting an interpupillary distance and for parallel arrangement of the first and second tubes, wherein the first tube and the second tube each include:
 an objective lens; 
 an eyepiece; 
 a prism erecting system; and 
 a focusing lens, wherein the focusing lens is axially displaceable, 
 wherein the focusing lens of the first tube is positioned between the objective lens of the first tube and the prism erecting system of the first tube; 
 wherein the focusing lens of the second tube is positioned between the objective lens of the second tube and the prism erecting system of the second tube; 
   a focusing knob rotatable about a rotational axis; and   a first push rod and a second push rod, each of the first and the second push rods having a longitudinal axis along which the respective push rod can travel, wherein the focusing knob is coupled to each of the first and second push rods, the first push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the first tube, and the second push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the second tube,   wherein a direction of a back-and-forth displacement in the longitudinal axis of the first push rod or along the longitudinal axis of the second push rod and a direction of the hinge axis are aligned obliquely with respect to each other,   wherein an objective-side end of the first push rod and of the second push rod is formed having a joint head arrangement, the joint head arrangement being engaged with a joint socket of a lens mount of the corresponding focusing lens,   wherein an outer side of each tube comprises a waist formed with a circumferential shape deviating from a circular shape in a region of the prism erecting system, wherein a section extending on an upper side of the tube is formed as a retaining recess following the waist for a section of a finger and a section extending on a bottom side of the tube is formed as a retaining recess following the waist for a section of a thumb of a user,   wherein each tube in the region of its waist has two retaining recesses which are opposing each other,   wherein in the two tubes, in each case, a beam path is formed with a first optical axis of the objective lens, with a second optical axis of the eyepiece and with a prism erecting system, the first optical axis of the objective lens and the second optical axis of the eyepiece being offset parallel to each other by a distance so that these axes do not coincide,   wherein the hinge axis of the hinged bridge, the first optical axis of the objective lens and the second optical axis of the eyepiece lie in a common, first plane, and   wherein an outline of each tube defined by a cross-section normal to the first plane and to the direction of the optical axis through each of the tubes in the region of the waist has its narrowest part in an intersection area of the respective tube with a plane containing the second optical axis of the eyepiece and being perpendicular to the first plane, wherein a ratio of a diameter of the narrowest part of the tube normal to the first plane to a diameter of the housing in the area of the objective lens has a value of below 80%.   
     
     
         15 . A binocular comprising:
 a first tube and a second tube, connected to one another by means of a hinged bridge pivotable about a hinge axis for adjusting an interpupillary distance and for parallel arrangement of the first and second tubes, wherein the first tube and the second tube each include:
 an objective lens; 
 an eyepiece; 
 a prism erecting system; and 
 a focusing lens, wherein the focusing lens is axially displaceable, 
 wherein the focusing lens of the first tube is positioned between the objective lens of the first tube and the prism erecting system of the first tube; 
 wherein the focusing lens of the second tube is positioned between the objective lens of the second tube and the prism erecting system of the second tube; 
   a focusing knob rotatable about a rotational axis; and   a first push rod and a second push rod, each of the first and the second push rods having a longitudinal axis along which the respective push rod can travel, wherein the focusing knob is coupled to each of the first and second push rods, the first push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the first tube, and the second push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the second tube,   wherein a direction of a back-and-forth displacement in the longitudinal axis of the first push rod or along the longitudinal axis of the second push rod and a direction of the hinge axis are aligned obliquely with respect to each other,   wherein an objective-side end of the first push rod and of the second push rod is formed having a joint head arrangement, the joint head arrangement being is engaged with a joint socket of a lens mount of the corresponding focusing lens, and   wherein the push rod is held in a guide tunnel of a tube housing so as to be displaceable in the direction of its longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         16 . A binocular comprising:
 a first tube and a second tube, connected to one another by means of a hinged bridge pivotable about a hinge axis for adjusting an interpupillary distance and for parallel arrangement of the first and second tubes, wherein the first tube and the second tube each include:
 an objective lens; 
 an eyepiece; 
 a prism erecting system; and 
 a focusing lens, wherein the focusing lens is axially displaceable, 
 wherein the focusing lens of the first tube is positioned between the objective lens of the first tube and the prism erecting system of the first tube; 
 wherein the focusing lens of the second tube is positioned between the objective lens of the second tube and the prism erecting system of the second tube; 
   a focusing knob rotatable about a rotational axis; and   a first push rod and a second push rod, each of the first and the second push rods having a longitudinal axis along which the respective push rod can travel,   wherein the focusing knob is coupled to each of the first and second push rods, the first push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the first tube, and the second push rod is coupled to the focusing lens within the second tube,   wherein a direction of a back-and-forth displacement in the longitudinal axis of the first push rod or along the longitudinal axis of the second push rod and a direction of the hinge axis are aligned obliquely with respect to each other,   wherein an objective-side end of the first push rod and of the second push rod is formed having a joint head arrangement, the joint head arrangement being engaged with a joint socket of a lens mount of the corresponding focusing lens, and   wherein the push rods are designed so as to be adjustable in their length in a telescope-like manner.